Every Essendon defender would have watched the Lance Franklin show at the SCG in Round 23.
And no doubt they were paying attention when former Sydney and Melbourne coach Paul Roos commented after Franklin kicked his seventh of 10 goals for the night.
Broadcaster Fox Footy posted a graphic of the location of Franklin's 19 disposals to that point in the match, and 10 were inside the Swans' attacking 50.
"This is the reason he has played closer to goal because (Carlton defender) Liam Jones has played him from in front," Roos noted in commentary.
"I think if you play him from behind you actually force him away from goal. I know where I'd rather have him, and that's away from goal. Liam Jones has invited him back towards goal today."
Luke McPharlin didn't need to watch the game to know what happened. The former Fremantle and Hawthorn defender played on Franklin more times than he'd care to remember, including the 2013 Grand Final.
"I would always body him up on the back shoulder and I always preferred to keep him in front of me so you could watch the play and know where his body was at all times," the 2012 All Australian told ESPN.
"Then as he presented up the field, you would try and defend that lead but he would always try and turn you inside out and beat you out the back into the space. It was just being very wary as he worked up the field on the lead - let's say you were able to defend the lead or he wasn't used, as he attempted to turn, it was always about putting the (body) work in to stop him turning and always keeping him in front of you.
"You put some work in as he turned and then you yourself work back into that space quicker than he does so you're always goal side of him, if that makes sense. Then you can keep watching the play and be aware of where he is. As soon as he gets out the back he's unstoppable because he can beat you for speed and he can kick it from 70m.
"It was a very, very strong focus of keeping him in front of you at all times."
Essendon's Cale Hooker knows that scenario all too well. So too does Adelaide defender Daniel Talia.
So how do the Bombers defend Franklin in a cut-throat elimination final at the SCG? Coach John Worsfold has recent experience to draw upon. The two teams met at the same venue in Round 14 when the Swans won courtesy of a Gary Rohan goal after the siren.
Franklin threatened to blow that game apart. He gathered 17 disposals and took five marks, including three inside 50, but kicked woefully for goal registering 0.6 for the night.
According to Champion Data, Michael Hartley manned Franklin all night. Michael Hurley, who McPharlin believes has the athletic attributes to take Franklin, played a looser rebounding role in Round 14, collecting 30 disposals, including nine rebounds, and kicked a goal.
McPharlin said there needs to be a team defence focus to stop the Coleman medallist rather an exclusive one-on-one match up.
"You'd have your key defender who would assume that role when he's playing deep, and if he starts to move up, he can set up at a wing and at stoppages and he can play as that high running forward role, then you'd hand over to a running back who can run with him," McPharlin said.
"Because if you [have] got your key defender running around on Franklin or starting up on a wing, then it just throws your whole team defence structure out because you want your key defender deep.
"Certainly, in the latter part of my career when the team defence stuff came in, my role was to play on him when he was playing that true key forward role. Then as he got higher I would hand over to a Michael Johnson or even a Garrick Ibbotson, those guys that were sort of more the running backs and they would be up on him when he was up the field.
"You'd have strategies around that because Franklin could quite easily upset your whole defence by dragging players out of position. We had a real philosophy of wanting our backs to play where we wanted them to play and then as he changes his positioning then we would roll over and hand over."
The Dockers would always play a spare defender as the last man in the zone to ensure no opponent would get out the back, which was particularly important against the Swans forwards who like to play a 'sling shot style' by pushing up and working back into space.
McPharlin said he spoke constantly to his midfielders and fellow defenders about being wary of Franklin at stoppages and in marking contests as well because he plays differently to other key forwards.
"He's such a smart player and he's got those unique tricks which you have to specifically think about with him and that includes some of his work around stoppages," McPharlin said.
"In the forward half, he likes to wrap around like a midfielder almost and also at a marking contest he doesn't tend to fly into packs and take pack marks. He'll assess whether he's next to mark or he can stay at ground level and try and wrap that contest as well.
"He's such a unique player. Whereas Josh Kennedy from West Coast, he'll typically fly for everything and he'll often take it, so you have to be very, very strong in the air against him. With Franklin, you've got to be wary of his ground level work probably more so in the marking contests because he doesn't tend to take those pack marks.
"Everyone will be very aware of him at a stoppage. You'd want your mids and your wingers if he does come past to just step in his line, if you lose contact. You'd be having chats to the mids before the game about that depending on where he sets up at stoppages. But clearly as a defender your role is first and foremost to stop that. But if you do lose contact with him and a mid or a winger can help and just step in his line that really helps you out."
More than anything else on Saturday though, the Bombers need to put pressure on the Swans' ball carriers up field to ensure the football isn't delivered lace out to Franklin.
"That was probably the most important aspect," McPharlin said.
"How your team was performing up the field, the pressure they're putting on. It makes your job a little bit easier."
The Blues failed to do that, particularly in the second half of that Round 23 clash. If the Bombers fail as well, it could be another Franklin finals show, and the Dons' premiership dream would be extinguished.